Tape cartridge dispenser

ABSTRACT

A tape dispenser including a drum having a plurality of tape cartridge boxes mounted on oppositely disposed vertical pins provided on the outer periphery of the drum, a flange positioned around the upper portion of the drum to prevent vertical movement of the boxes with respect to the pins and including a slot for removing one box at a time from the drum, a locking spring plate mounted to block the slot and having a release recess which is moved into alignment with the slot to allow for the vertical movement of a box on the pins, and a key actuated release mechanism connected to said locking spring plate and actuated by a lettered key which allows for movement of the locking plate to release a tape cartridge box from the drum. The release mechanism includes a slide housing having a pair of guide slots, an index slide positioned for movement in the housing and including a pair of triangular openings, a pair of arms mounted for movement with the slide and having rivets extending through said triangular openings and said guide slots, and a spring connected to the arms to bias said arms to a locking position with respect to said housing and slide. The special key is used to move the arms with respect to the slide to thereby release the slide for movement relative to the housing.

United States Patent Crosslen [54] TAPE CARTRIDGE DISPENSER [72] Inventor: Louis John Crosslen, Grafton, Wis.

Frank Mayer & Associates, Inc., Grafton, Wis.

[22] Filed: July 23, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 57,616

[73] Assignee:

3,434,578 3/1969 Hall 194/92 2,281,487 4/1942 Finkel ..221/l22 X 3,434,579 3/1969 Hall ..l74/92 3,478,893 11/1969 Crosslen ..21 1/165 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Thomas E. Kocovsky Attorney-James E. Nilles [451 June 27, 19 72 [511 xnsrnxcr A tape dispenser including a drum having a plurality of tape cartridge boxes mounted on oppositely disposed vertical pins provided on the outer periphery of the drum, a flange positioned around the upper portion of the drum to prevent vertical movement of the boxes with respect to the pins and including a slot for removing one box at a time from the drum, a locking spring plate mounted to block the slot and having a release recess which is moved into alignment with the slot to allow for the vertical movement of a box on the pins, and a key actuated release mechanism connected to said locking spring plate and actuated by a lettered key which allows for movement of the locking plate to release a tape cartridge box from the drum. The release mechanism includes a slide housing having a pair of guide slots, an index slide positioned for movement in the housing and including a pair of triangular openings, a pair of arms mounted for movement with the slide and having rivets extending through said triangular openings and said guide slots, and a spring connected to the arms to bias said arms to a locking position with respect to said housing and slide. The special key is used to move the arms with respect to the slide to thereby release the slide for movement relative to the housing.

10 Claims, 1 1 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJm'! 1972 SHEET 10F 3 I N VENTOR.

[00/1 J [Mir/av XML Z. 77% lrmxwz i ii-y SHEET 2 OF 3 PATENTEDJUH 21 1972 TAPE CARTRIDGE DISPENSER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The rapid increase in the use of the tape cartridge has created a need for an automatic dispensing mechanism. Since the price of the tape cartridges includes odd amounts in dollars and cents, it has been difficult to provide for automatic dispensing of the cartridges. Tape cartridges presently are stored on pins provided on drums for easy viewing and are removed by expanding the drums so that they can be separated to remove the tapes from the pins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The tape cartridge dispensing apparatus of the present invention provides for the safe storage of the tape cartridges for viewing by purchasers and allows for selectively releasing a single tape cartridge box from the drum upon the insertion of the proper key into the mechanism. The tape cartridge boxes are mounted vertically for pivotal movement on pins which are provided on the drum and are removed by moving the tape box vertically upward on the upper pin until the box clears the lower pin. The boxes are locked on the pins by a flange which prevents vertical movement of the tape boxes on the pins. A single slot is provided in the flange to allow for the release of one tape cartridge box at a time from the drum. The slot is closed by a lock spring plate which is moved to open the slot upon insertion of the proper lettered key into the slot of a release mechanism. The release mechanism is provided with a unique interlocking arrangement to prevent tampering and is released on depositing of the proper lettered key into the release mechanism. The keys are purchased from the proprietor and are properly coded for use with the drum of tape cartridges having the corresponding release mechanism.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in connection with the drawings.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of the apparatus of this invention showing a single tape cartridge box mounted on the drum;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the release mechanism for the dispensing apparatus shown in the locked position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing the release slot in the flange of the drum;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the release mechanism with a key positioned in the slide;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the slide in the release position;

FIG. 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing the key being released from the slide;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the relation of the slide housing, slide and lock arms to each other;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6 showing the relation of the housing, slide and arms.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the slide and arms with the key in place;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 with the key removed;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the key.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The tape cartridge dispensing apparatus 10 of this invention, as seen in FIG. 1, generally includes a tape drum 12 mounted for rotary motion on a shaft 13 in a housing 14. A plurality of pins 18 and 20 are located on the outer periphery of the drum 12 to support tape cartridge boxes 15. The tape cartridge boxes 15 are locked on the pins 18 and 20 by means of a depending flange 22 provided around the outer periphery of the drum. A slot 24 is provided in the flange 22 to allow for the removal of one tape cartridge box 15 at a time from the drum. Opening of the slot 24 is controlled by means of a release mechanism 26.

More particularly, the tap drum 12 is a well known storage device for the sale of tape cartridges and is generally provided with outwardly directed flanges 28 and 30 which are located in a parallel spaced relation. The tape cartridge boxes 15 are supported on the drum 12 by means of the upper pins 18 which are secured to the upper flange 28 and the lower pins 20 which are secured to the lower flange 30. It should be noted that the upper pins 18 are longer than the lower pins 20, and the flanges 28 and 30 are located a distance apart greater than the width of the tape cartridge boxes 15. The boxes 15 are provided with vertically aligned holes (not shown) at one end for mounting on the pines l8 and 20. The tape boxes 15 are mounted on the drum 12 by aligning the hole in the top of the box 15 with the upper pin 18 and pushing the box vertically upward on the pin 18 until the bottom of the box 15 clears the bottom pin 20. The hole in the bottom of the box 15 is then aligned with the lower pin 20 and the box 15 dropped vertically onto the flange 30. The box 15 is then free to pivot about the pins 18 and 20 within the limits of the adjacent boxes for viewing by the purchaser. It should be noted that the tape boxes can be mounted on the drum only one at a time through the slot 24. That is, each tape box 15 is put on the drum through the slot 24 and the drum 12 rotated to move the box 15 under flange 22 to lock the box 15 on the pins 18 and 20.

In accordance with the invention, means are provided for opening and closing the slot 24 to allow for the removal of a single tape cartridge box 15 from the pins 18 and 20 upon the insertion of a lettered key 32 into the release mechanism 26. In this regard, (FIGS. 2 and 3) a lock spring plate 36 is positioned to slide in a channel 34 provided on the inside surface of the flange 22. The lock spring plate 36 includes a recess 38 which is moved into and out of alignment with the slot 24 to provide sufficient clearance for the removal of a tape cartridge box I5 from the pins 18 and 20. The lock spring plate 36 is moved by means of the release mechanism 26 which is connected to the plate 36 by a spring arm 42.

RELEASE MECHANISM Referring to FIGS. 4 through 7, the release mechanism 26 includesa slide housing 44, a slide 46, and a pair of lock anns 48. The slide housing 44 is secured to the housing 14 by means of a pair of brackets 45 and screws 47. The slide 46 is mounted for reciprocal movement in the slide housing 44 and is secured to the spring arm 42 to control the position of the recess 38 in the spring plate 36 with respect to the slot 24. The slide 46 is prevented from moving in the housing 44 by means of the lock arms 48 which are mounted for movement with the slide 46. In this regard, the lock arms 48 are biased to a locking position by means of a spring 76 in the form of a rubber band and are moved to release the slide 46 from the housing 44 by means of the key 32.

More particularly, the slide housing 44, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 7, includes a groove or channel 56, an elongate opening 58, and a pair of guide slots 54. Each of the slots 54 is provided with a triangular opening 60 at one end and an intermediate outwardly extending opening 62. A key release opening 64 is provided on the other end of the slide housing 44 and has the same general shape as the key 32.

The slide 46 is positioned for sliding movement in the channel 56 of the slide housing 44, as seen in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, and includes a key way or opening 66 and a pair of triangular holes 68. A channel or groove 72 is provided in the bottom of the slide and a post 70 extends outwardly from the top of the slide throughthe elongate opening 58 in the housing 44. The triangular holes 68 have their apexes 69 aligned with the guide slots 54 and are adapted to be aligned with the triangular openings 60 at the ends of the slots 54. The end 73 of the slide has a reduced width for insertion between the pins 18 on the drum 12 to prevent rotation of the drum 12 as described hereinafter.

The movement of the slide 46 within the slide housing 44 is prevented by means of the lock arms 48 which are shown in FIGS. 7, 9 and 10, positioned in the channel 72 in the bottom of the slide 46. The lock arms 48 are each provided with a notch 74 and a rivet 75. The notches 74 are aligned with the post 70 in the slide 46 when the arms are placed in the channel 72. The rivets 75 project upwardly through the triangular holes 68 in the slide 46 and the triangular openings 60 in the housing 44. The arms 48 are biased toward the post 70 by means of the rubber band 76 which is attached to each of the rivets 75 and wrapped around the post 70. Referring to FIG. 2, it should be noted that the rivets 75 are cammed outward on engagement with the edge of the triangular opening 60 of slide housing 44 to a position out of alignment with the guide slots 54 in the housing 44. If the slide 46 is pushed into the slide housing 44, the rivets 75 will engage the opposite edge 78 of the triangular opening 60 preventing further movement of the slide 46 with respect to the slide housing 44.

Means are provided for moving the rivets 75 from the triangular openings 60 into alignment with the guide slots 54. Such means is in the form of the lettered key 32 (FIG. 11), which is positioned within the keyway or opening 66 in the slide 46. In this regard, the key 32 is provided with a pair of parallel legs 80 which are spaced to engage the ends of the lock arms 48 (FIGS. 6 and 7). When the key 32 is pushed fully into the opening 66, the legs 80 will move the lock arms 48 relative to the slide 46 and against the bias of the band 76. The band 76 will pull the rivets 75 into the apex of the triangular holes 68 and into alignment with the slots 54. The slide 46 can then be moved relative to the slide housing 44 through the full length of the slots 54. The movement of the slide 46 will push the lock spring 36 along the channel in the flange 22 until the recess 38 is aligned with the slot 24. The end 73 of the slide will move into the space between pins 18 preventing further rotary movement of the drum 12. The tape cartridge box which is aligned with slot 24 can then be removed from the drum 12.

The key 32 is removed from the opening 66 by means of a spring plate 82 provided on the slide housing 44 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The spring plate 82 is secured to the slide housing 44 and includes a pair of spring leaves 84 which are bent downwardly into opening 84. When the slide 46 is pushed into the housing 44, the spring leaves 84 will engage the legs 80 of the key 32 pushing the key 32 out of the opening 66 in the slide 46. A drawer 86 is provided in the release mechanism to catch the keys 32.

After the tape cartrige box 15 has been removed from the drum l2, rotation of the drum is prevented until the recess 38 in the lock spring plate 36 has been moved completely out of alignment with the slot 24 in flange 22 by means of the end 73 of the slide 46. It should be noted that the end 73 of the slide 46 will clear the pins 18 before the slide 46 is completely withdrawn into the slide housing 44. Means are provided to prevent re-opening of the slot 24 in the event the drum 12 is rotated after the end 73 of the slide 46 clears the pins 18. Such means is in the form of the intermediate openings 62 in the guide slots 54. After the key 32 has been removed from the opening 66 in the slide 46, the lock arms 48 are biased toward the post 70 by the spring and are cammed outward by the engagement of the rivets 75 with the triangular holes 68 in the slide 46. Once the slide 46 has been moved far enough for the rivets 75 to enter the openings 62, the slide 46 cannot be pushed back into the drum 12. Return motion is prevented by the engagement of the end of arm 48 with the pins 18. It

. should be noted that the distance of the rivets 75 from the end 73 of the slide 46 is greater than the distance of the slot 62 from the pins 18. The rivets 75 will therefore enter the openings 62 before the end 73 of the slide 46 clears the pins 18. The arms 48 will move slightly toward post 70 due to the bias of spring 76 and will move outward to a position to engage pins 18 if an attempt is made to push the slide back into the drum 14.

Only a single dispenser has been shown; however, these dispensers can be stacked up on shaft 13 and a separate release mechanism provided for each level. If the cartridges on each level are sold for different amounts of money, a different key can-be provided for each level. The keys can be color coded for use with a corresponding colored release mechanism.

RESUME The tape cartridge dispenser disclosed herein is a self-actuated device which can be used to sell tape cartridges on insertion of a lettered key into a release mechanism. Pilferage of cartridges is substantially reduced by the use of a novel locking arrangement for storing the tape cartridges and at the same time allowing for visual observation of all of the cartridges by the purchaser. The release mechanism is also pro vided with a safety interlock arrangement to prevent removal of more than one cartridge at a time from the dispenser for each key inserted in the release mechanism. The dispenser is also provided with means for automatically removing the keys from the release mechanism each time the drum is opened.

1 claim:

1. A tape cartridge drum mounted for rotary movement on a shaft and of the type for supporting a plurality of tape cartridge boxes suspended by oppositely disposed pins on the outer periphery of said drum, said boxes being locked on said pins by a flange having a slot and a plate having a recess which is adapted to be moved into alignment with said slot, and a release mechanism operatively connected to said plate to open said slot on insertion of a key into said release mechanism, said release mechanism including,

a slide housing,

a key opening in said housing having a specific shape,

a slide mounted for reciprocal movement in said housing and being operatively connected to said plate, means for preventing movement of said slide with respect to said housing, v

and a key having the same specific shape as said key opening for releasing said preventing means whereby on insertion of said key into said key opening, said slide can be moved with respect to said housing. 2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said housing includes a pair of guide slots, said slide includes a pair of triangular openings having their apexes aligned with said guide slots, said preventing means includes a pair of arms mounted for movement with said slide, each arm including a rivet projecting through said openings and guide slots, and said key being adapted to move said arms to a position to align said rivets with said guide slots.

3. An apparatus for dispensing tape recording cartridge boxes, said apparatus comprising,

a housing, 1 a drum mounted for rotary motion on said housing, said drum having a peripheral flange and a slot in said flange for the withdrawal of a box therethrough, 1

a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed pins on the outer periphery of said drum, each pair of pins being adapted to support one of said tape cartridge boxes,

slideable plate means on said drum and including a plate slideable across said slot to prevent withdrawal of said boxes on said pins,

and means for sliding said plate to allow for movement of one of said tape cartridge boxes with respect to said supporting pins and through said slot whereby said box can be removed from said drum.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said opening means includes means for preventing rotation of said drum when said locking means is open.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 including a key which is adapted to be inserted into said means for sliding said plate whereby the latter can be actuated.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said sliding plate means includes a slide housing, said plate being mounted for reciprocal motion in said housing, and means for preventing relative movement between said plate and housing.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 including means for biasing said arms to a position wherein said rivets are cammed out of alignment with said guide slots.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 including a key adapted to be positioned in said plate to move said arms relative to said plate, whereby said biasing means moves said rivets into the apexes of said triangular openings to thereby allow movement of said plate with respect to said housing.

It I! II I 

1. A tape cartridge drum mounted for rotary movement on a shaft and of the type for supporting a plurality of tape cartridge boxes suspended by oppositely disposed pins on the outer periphery of said drum, said boxes being locked on said pins by a flange having a slot and a plate having a recess which is adapted to be moved into alignment with said slot, and a release mechanism operatively connected to said plate to open said slot on insertion of a key into said release mechanism, said release mechanism including, a slide housing, a key opening in said housing having a specific shape, a slide mounted for reciprocal movement in said housing and being operatively connected to said plate, means for preventing movement of said slide with respect to said housing, and a key having the same specific shape as said key opening for releasing said preventing means whereby on insertion of said key into said key opening, said slide can be moved with respect to said housing.
 2. The combination according to claiM 1 wherein said housing includes a pair of guide slots, said slide includes a pair of triangular openings having their apexes aligned with said guide slots, said preventing means includes a pair of arms mounted for movement with said slide, each arm including a rivet projecting through said openings and guide slots, and said key being adapted to move said arms to a position to align said rivets with said guide slots.
 3. An apparatus for dispensing tape recording cartridge boxes, said apparatus comprising, a housing, a drum mounted for rotary motion on said housing, said drum having a peripheral flange and a slot in said flange for the withdrawal of a box therethrough, a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed pins on the outer periphery of said drum, each pair of pins being adapted to support one of said tape cartridge boxes, slideable plate means on said drum and including a plate slideable across said slot to prevent withdrawal of said boxes on said pins, and means for sliding said plate to allow for movement of one of said tape cartridge boxes with respect to said supporting pins and through said slot whereby said box can be removed from said drum.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said opening means includes means for preventing rotation of said drum when said locking means is open.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 3 including a key which is adapted to be inserted into said means for sliding said plate whereby the latter can be actuated.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said sliding plate means includes a slide housing, said plate being mounted for reciprocal motion in said housing, and means for preventing relative movement between said plate and housing.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6 including means for moving said preventing means to release said plate for movement relative to said housing.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said slide housing includes a pair of guide slots having triangular openings at one end, said plate includes a pair of triangular holes having their apexes aligned with said guide slots, and said preventing means includes a pair of arms each having a rivet extending through said triangular holes and said triangular openings.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8 including means for biasing said arms to a position wherein said rivets are cammed out of alignment with said guide slots.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 9 including a key adapted to be positioned in said plate to move said arms relative to said plate, whereby said biasing means moves said rivets into the apexes of said triangular openings to thereby allow movement of said plate with respect to said housing. 